EXPLAINER: Ramaphosa impeachment inquiry – what happens next after Phala Phala ruling

President Cyril Ramaphosa during a parliamentary session at the Nieuwmeester Dome in Cape Town on 19 February 2026. Picture: Gallo Images/Ziyaad Douglas 8 May marks a symbolic date in South Africa’s democratic history. Thirty years ago, on 8 May 1996, the constitution was formally adopted, paving the way for democracy.

Exactly three decades later, the same date brought a major constitutional development of a different kind. The Constitutional Court (ConCourt) on Friday, 8 May 2026, delivered a significantjudgmentthat now places President Cyril Ramaphosa on the path to face a formal impeachment inquiry. The apex court found that Parliament acted irrationally in December 2022 when it rejected the referral of a Section 89 panel report to an impeachment committee.

The National Assembly has now been instructed to resume the process, meaning an inquiry into the president is now unavoidable. Although the ConCourt gave no timelines, Parliament is now required to establish an impeachment committee, under Rule 129I of the National Assembly rules, which governs howa president may be removed from officeunder Section 89 of the constitution. Section 89 allows for the removal of a president on three grounds: serious violation of the constitution or the law, serious misconduct or inability to perform the duties of office.

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Once constituted, the committee will gather evidence, test the credibility of the claims and assess the seriousness of the allegations against Ramaphosa before making recommendations to the National Assembly. Witnesses, possibly even Ramaphosa himself, are expected to be called, questioned and required to respond to or challenge the president’s version of events relating to Phala Phala. At the end, the committee’s final report must reflect all viewpoints expressed by MPs during the inquiry.

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